Little Falls man charged with two felony counts of assault

Published March 15, 2013 at 2:48 pm

Roger Richard Hodgman, 22, Little Falls, was charged with one felony count of third degree assault of a person under 4 years old, one felony count of domestic assault by strangulation and one gross misdemeanor count of interfering with a 911 call by Morrison County Attorney Brian Middendorf and his staff.

On March 8, Little Falls police responded to a report of a domestic assault. A witness said he observed a man dragging a woman into a residence by her hair.

When officers arrived, Hodgman answered the door, shirtless, and they allegedly saw scrapes and blood on his hands and chest. Hodgman admitted being in an argument with his girlfriend, but denied any physical altercation and told the officers she had left.

The victim later went to the Little Falls Police Department to report the assault by Hodgman. She told officers she and her 2-year-old son stayed at Hodgman’s residence the prior evening and that in the morning they had argued. When she was taking her belongings out to her car, she told the officers Hodgman grabbed her by the hair, pulled her inside and threw her on the couch.

When she tried to call 911, Hodgman allegedly grabbed her phone and threw it against the wall. He choked her several times, then dragged her downstairs by her hair while she was holding her son. She told police she couldn’t breathe for at least 10 seconds and thought she was going to die in front of her son.

According to the criminal complaint, when Hodgman dragged the victim downstairs, he then punched her in the stomach. She was eventually able to grab her son and run out the door, leaving behind her cell phone, glasses and shoes.

The officers observed a bump on the son’s forehead, which the victim said resulted from Hodgman pushing him.

When officers returned to Hodgman’s home, he denied the assault. He was placed under arrest.

If convicted, Hodgman faces a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and/or a $10,000 fine.